Metal capsule for bottles.



C. W. V. MESSERSGHMIDT.

METAL CAPSULE FOR BOTTLES.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.17, 1912.

Patented June 16, 1914.

Fig.1.

f A 1,3- a/lury l j .plied to the tongue.

. UNITED STATES PATENT omen;

CHRISTIAN VILBELI IESSEBSOHIIDT, OI COPENHAGEN, 11mm mAL CAPSULE I03 BOTTLES.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHRISTIAN WILLIAM VILHELM 'MEssERsoHMm'r, a subject of the King of Denmark, residing at Copenhagen, Denmark, have invented new and useful Improvements in Metal Capsules for Bob tles, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to'improvements in soft metal caps for bottles particularly those which are provided with one or more tongues which serve the purpose of pulling ofl the cap. It has been found in practice that these tongues often do not completely serve the purpose of removin the cap but the tongue or some portion 0 the cap only is torn away. These tongues in the way they have hitherto been formed have other disadvantages more particularly that the presence of the tongues makes it diflicult to automatically feed the caps through a machine for the purpose of bringing them into position for attachment to the bottles and in packing or handling the tongue or tongues are very liable to be torn off.

My invention relates to an improved method of constructing the cap and tongue so as to strengthen the tongue at its point of juncture with the-cap proper and thus obtain a line which will strengthen the tongue and serve to direct the tear into the cap when a sufiiciently forcible pull is ap- I provide this directing line by forming a laterally extending ridge in the metal at the part where the tongue projects from the edge of the cap. This ridge can be applied to a tongue of any shape or outline and the' improved tearing quality thus obtained enables the tongue to be easily pulled with a sweeping movement which will entirely free the cap. This ridge may be formed in the course of forming the cap and tongue, but in practice it will preferably be formed by constructing the tongue in the usual manner and then, preferably at the time when the lining of .cork or other material islodged in the inside of the cap, bending up the tongue or tongues so that they lie as closely as is needed for the pur pose against the body of the cap.

I have found that when the tongue of a soft metal cap has been so folded against the that bottles so cappe handled with less risk of accidental damage body of the cap, the formation of the tearto unfold it along exactly the same line and the result .of an attempt to unfold it is to create the crease or ridge herein referred to. The unfolding operation is so simple that it may left to be performed by the ultimate user 1n the act of opening the sealed bottle. For this purpose he must open out the folded up tongue and in so doing he will complete the rid e.- It will be found that a ton ue provi ed with a reinforcin ridge at 1ts ine of joinder with the edge 0 the cap, will not be readily torn away when the tongue is grasped, and pulled for the purpose of removing the cap, but on the contrary the reinforcement will compel the cap to tear upwardly from one or both corners of the tongue and across the body of the cap,thereby releasing it from the bottle. Other advanta es are incidental to the employment of a ottle cap in my improved form, as for example, that withthe tongues closely folded up they may be readily fed into an automatic capsuling) machineand cane packed and to the tongues. V

In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 is a side .view of the top of a bottle provided with the improved sealing cap; and Fig. 2 is a; similar view with parts broken away but taken at right angles to the view shown in Fi 1.

Re en-mg to the drawing by letter: a indicates the soft metal cap, of aluminum or other suitable metal, while 1) indicates the tongue integral with and depending from the edge of the flange of the, cap.

1) indicates the annular groove in the cap formed by the capping tool in forcing the flange of-the'cap under the bead on the bottle. Along the horizontal line of j oinder between the tongue I) and the edge of the flange of the cap, there is formed, or to be formed, a-ridge, the location of which is indicated in Fig. 1 by dotted lines a and in Fig. 2 by the representation a of the ridge itself. This ridge may be formed by bendforcing ridfge along its line of joinder with 10 ing the tongue upwardto the position indithe flange or the purpose set forth. cated by the dotted lines cjt'nd then bending In witness whereof, I subscribe my sigit back again to the posltlon shown 1n full nature, in the presence of two witnesses. 5 fi v g v CHRISTIAN WILLIAM VILHELM MESSERSOHMIDT.

A soft metal flanged cap for bottle seal- Witnesses: ing, provided with a. tongue depending from ANNA HANSEN the edge of the fienge and having a rein- OUE 1m FINE mns'rnn. 

